


I Hold You Up Above Everyone

by MeredithBrody



Series: NaNoWriMo [1]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-04
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 11:06:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1030962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeredithBrody/pseuds/MeredithBrody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jonathan is told he's going to be promoted, he has one choice to make in his personal life. Bring the woman he loved into his life for good, or let her go for now. But he's not ready to let her go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Hold You Up Above Everyone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAngel/gifts), [Sokorra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokorra/gifts), [foreveranna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreveranna/gifts).



> This is no longer a oneshot and is a full AU with a few chapters, considering going through most of the show and just changing things about. Enjoy!

For Jonathan Archer, this day had been predicted for longer than he'd even known. Their friends had always said that they were meant to be together, and it had taken the two of them far too long to accept that. He'd known since the day they met that she was going to be important to him, that she was going to be something that would change his life for the better. He'd taken his sweet time in acting on it though, and it had taken them getting to a make a break point for him to stop and realise what was at stake.

That day he'd made his move, not wanting to lose her for good, and now almost 4 years on he was making his move again. This hadn't been how they'd planned on anything, and until he'd come home and proposed he knew that Erika had been expecting them to end things, go their separate ways and hope that somehow the universe brought them back together at some future point. He wasn't OK with that. He didn't like uncertainty, so this was his solution.

Maybe he could have picked a better best man. It seemed that AG, rather than trying to make the last week easier had tried to make him blush as many times as possible. He was already trying to forget his bachelor party a couple of nights earlier, and he had avoided talking to AG as much as he could since then. But now he couldn't really avoid him, as they were sat on the bench at the front, waiting for Erika's niece and sister-in-law to get this party started. "Are you ready for this?" AG asked quietly. Trying to protect their voices from the nosy people sat around them.

"I don't think I'm talking to you yet." Jon muttered back, keeping his voice pitched low in a similar fashion. The last thing anyone who was present for it needed to know about was the party. Least of all his mother. Luckily for him, Erika had already heard all about it, and had thought his lapdance by a male stripper was the height of hilarity. Jon wasn't adverse to men in general, but he hadn't appreciated that revelation particularly, and somehow felt his soon-to-be-wife had had something to do with it.

AG, for all his faults, had managed to help them organise the entire ceremony in a week. That was the upside of being serving officers, getting a licence had been easy. Everything else had been harder than he'd thought, especially getting their families to San Francisco for it. But thanks to AG, they had managed. He still had to keep his friend a little on edge though, surely. "You have too I have your rings. Are you ready?" He asked again, and this time Jon thought about the question before shrugging.

"I don't really have a choice. There were only two outcomes to this situation. Either I marry her, or we break up." It might not have been the most romantic reason to get married, but for them it was the truth, and it was practical. They way they felt for each other wasn't going to change just because they got married or they ended things and stayed in love. There was only one outcome he would accept. "I'm not ready to let go of her, I'm never going to be ready to let go of her."

"You two did talk about this, because otherwise she is gonna kick your ass and I might help her." AG asked seriously, and Jon realised that he might not have told AG that Erika had been fully behind this wedding too.

"Of course we did. It took some convincing. But we have three weeks before I'm officially promoted to Captain. If I marry her now, while we're the same rank, the frat rules don't apply. It won't damage either of our careers, and I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with her." He defended his decision, even though he was certain he didn't need too. Erika had loved the idea once he had shown her the corroborating evidence in the officers handbook. He would be managing to marry the love of his life in just a few minutes because of that, and he knew already that it was going to make things easier, for both of them.

"She still might kick your ass." AG replied after thinking over his answer for a few seconds. It was definitely a possibility, because for the last week the adrenaline for both he and Erika hadn't worn off. They'd been planning or organising ever since his rather terrible proposal. Maybe when the adrenaline wore off he'd get his ass kicked.

"I'm actually anticipating that outcome." He admitted a second later, then stood up as the music started. They had agreed that he was going to stay facing the alter in the traditional wedding sense. His family had never been religious, but Erika's were, so they had compromised by having a church ceremony, only because he wanted to do anything he could to make sure this was as she imagined.

AG, however, did turn around briefly then leant in and whispered in his ear. "Wait til you see her, Veronica did a good job."

That just made Jon panic a little more, he wasn't sure way. He was certain that Erika did look fantastic, because she looked amazing in anything, but knowing that he was soon going to be pledging his life to her was making him nervous. Not that he was doing it, but that one day they might be torn apart and this would have been for naught. But he was telling his mind to stop, and he needed AG to play along. "Don't, you'll make me more nervous."

"No backing out now. Good luck, lover boy." AG muttered clapping him on the shoulder hard and pushing him forward to meet her and her brother. The two men exchanged a quick bear hug, then Jon took Erika's hand and just studied her for a moment.

"Hi." She said, blushing a little. He couldn't really imagine why, she looked more beautiful than he could have imagined. She hadn't gone for a typical white dress, not that he'd thought for a moment she would. The dress she'd picked was a royal purple colour, with a Starfleet blue sash around her waist. It was all simple lines that just drew you in. He couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Wow."

"Uhm, I take it that's good?" Erika tried to drag his attention back to what they were there to do, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it tightly. He looked up at her and just smiled, seeing his excitement and maybe a hint of insanity being echoed back at him. It seemed like neither of them could believe they were actually there in that moment.  

"You look amazing." He told her, just needing a moment to say something. She just smiled and played with the link on his uniform.

"You don't look too bad yourself."

"When you two are ready?" Admiral Forrest interrupted, to general laughter from their assembled colleagues, friends and family. Jon just looked at Erika again with a grin then took hold of her hand and turned back to Forrest, almost ready to accept that this was done. He couldn't have been happier.

He couldn't wipe his smile away all through the ceremony. He managed to let everything out and be serious when he needed to be. The moment he was asked to say "I Do" took too long to get there, then when it came to it he stuttered. Only seconds later he had the ring on her finger, and he knew that it was worth it. He couldn't help but marvel at how different it felt, for all of an instant. One look at Erika's expression reminded him that they were married.

It seemed like a million photos were taken of the two of them and their wedding party before they could leave the church Eventually though, they were let free, and climbed into one of the accompanying cars. Experiencing their first moments alone as a married couple. Erika's face was flushed again as they settled back, ready to be driven around a bit as everyone else got to the reception venue. He still couldn't stop smiling, and just ended up shaking his head as Erika looked down at her ring again and grinned. "We got married."

"We did." He confirmed. Struggling to believe it himself for a second. Then felt the ring on his own finger. He tugged Erika to him and ran his hand through her hair in the way he always enjoyed doing.

"This was a stupid idea. But a wonderful one too." She scolded him playfully. Slipping her hand into his free one, and shifting into a more comfortable position on the seat so she could face him.

"I love you, and I was not ready to give you up." He reasoned, it was always best to just be honest, especially when the person you were talking too knew when you were lying before you did.

"And now you're stuck with me."

"Good." He muttered, then pulled her closer to him and kissed her as hard as he could. For some reason, this was exactly what he wanted, even though he hadn't known. Maybe the details didn't matter at all. Today he married the one woman who made him better than he was, and in a few weeks, he would be taking command of _Enterprise_. Earth's first deep space ship. He'd be out there exploring, and he'd always have someone to come home too.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an example of Erika's dress, only with a blue sash not pink >> http://assets.confetti.co.uk/img/library/fashion_item_id/22346_f.jpg  
> \--Work is part of my NaNoWriMo collection and may not be continued.--


End file.
